Analysts Question Microsoft Dynamics AX Commitment

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Recently commentators in the technology blogosphere have questioned Microsoft’s commitment to some of their product lines. We’re going to explain why this goes beyond bordering on silly and actually demonstrates a profound lack of understanding for the company. We’ll also look at the issues from many different angles so you can understand why this is coming up right now. If you follow technology writers you have probably heard a bit about it so we’ll clear some things up for you.

Much of the commentary is rather flippant. Microsoft has never updated their programs at the same rate. Really ever. Due to the fact that their products can be split into more than 100 large varieties and thousands of smaller ones it’s impossible to update them at the same time. This is something they have done for pretty much the entire history of the company. So why are people so puzzled about something they do normally?

The answer probably lies in the fact that Microsoft has had some financial cutbacks in recent years. As such they are an easy target for bloggers who want to pick at them. Of course there are positive and negative pieces everywhere. This is just something that happens when any business shows the smallest sign of weakness in this field. It’s not really up to us to say whether this is right or wrong. You should judge that for yourself and make your own decisions about what to read.

The good news that everyone might get they want once each program becomes extremely well-connected to the other ones. We’ve already seen this with Office and Skype. It seems extremely likely that the attitude and business practice will continue until every single product they make works with others. It’s something many companies have looked into but only a few have managed to achieve.

Of course the company has also not given up on Microsoft Dynamics AX. It’ll be updated when the demand is there for it. So far they have shown no interest in discontinuing the current members of the Dynamics family and that probably won’t change.

Nonprofit accounting software could certainly benefit from a Microsoft Dynamics AX update but the answer lies with demand. The MSD CRM product has proven incredibly popular in recent years. In a business like this you will only stay afloat if you give the people what they want at all times. People don’t want all of their programs equally. Some of them need to go out before others and that’s just how business is. It’s even more confusing that some writers cannot grasp this.

So what does this mean for you? Don’t freak out if your installations are a bit late. You won’t find any company with a solid ERP or CRM base that doesn’t have some delays. SalesForce and all the others have their own hiccups. Another point to remember is that most journalism today deals with sensationalism. Even if the sky isn’t falling that matters very little. As long as someone can be convinced it is you can make news sell.